Envelope booklet



April l, 1941l F. L. wAssl-:LL 2,237,205

ENVELQPE BOOKLET Filed Jan. 22, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 0,90? BLA/W( QUANTITY April l, 1941. -F. L. WAssELL 2,237,205

' VEHVELOPE BOOKLET Filed Jan. 22, 1940 :shuts-sheer, 3

ACCOU/Yf num-ss Patented Apr. l, 1941 srs al Fl CE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improvement in return envelopes. More particularly, the invention relates to return envelopes which are placed together in book form but which may readily be removed from the book and used singly as occasion requires.

Heretofore in business transactions when commodities were purchased on an installment basis, it was necessary for the seller to bill to each buyer each month a separate statement of his account. To avoid a complicated system of communications necessitated by this ordinary method of doing business, the present invention is proposed. It is, therefore, a broad object of the invention to provide a booklet of return envelopes, there being in said booklet a complete memorandum of the initial contract, a record of payments made and payments due, and a series of detachable envelopes which may beconveniently employed as remittance coupons.

More particularly, an object of the invention is to provide a return envelope booklet wherein a personal record of an entire installment transaction may be kept and by means of which a convenient reminder of payments due is always at hand.

Further, it is common in deferred payment plan transactions to arrange payments in weekly, semi-monthly or monthly groups, or in groups of ten or twenty weeks, six months, twelve months f or like calendar periods. However, occasionally it becomes necessary to provide for a few additional or irregular payments to one of these xed standard groups. Since the majority of installment payment plans fall within one of these l established standard groups, it is more economical to produce such groups complete, assembled and bound rather than to produce standard groups and bound individual groups as they are required.

It is, therefore, a further object to provide a booklet containing envelopes arranged to meet the requirements of one of these standard group installment plans and at the same time to provide means whereby additional envelopes may be added to such la standard booklet in order that an irregular installment contract plan or one requiring additional payments may be conveniently handled by means of the same standard booklet.

It is a further object of my invention to provide means for progressively educating a customer bv bringing to his attention at the time of detaching an envelope for mailing a remittance, some new item of merchandise, or some new service that may be of interest to him and to provide additional information regarding such new items or service.

A further object of the invention is to provide a return coupon booklet of the nature described having incorporated therein convenient detachable order blanks for the use of the purchaser and having information therein concerning the use of or the method of placement of an order.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front View of the return envelope booklet embodying the invention with the outer cover members folded and ready for distribution;

Figure 2 is a side View of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of a single return envelope with the flap in extended position;

Figure 4 is a front view of one of the detachable coupon envelopes as removed from the cover members sealed and ready for mailing;

Figure 5 is a front sectional view of the invention with the outer cover members extended and showing the positioning of the various units within the said cover members;

Figure 6` is a side View of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a front elevational view of one of the additional coupon envelopes after insertion within the cover members showing the positioning of the flaps of the envelope relative to the cover members; and

Figure 8 is a detailed front sectional view of one of the ladditional coupon envelopes as ready for insertion within the standard cover members.

Fig. 8a shows an alternative method of preparing the additional coupon envelopes for insertion in the booklet.

In Figures l and 2 is shown thev return envelope booklet as ready for mailing, wherein l is the front cover, ia the back cover and 2 the detachable envelopes stacked and folded therein so that the folded portion or flaps of the envelopes occupy the position lshown at 3.

The envelopes are fastened to the upper portion of the folder by means of staples or similar devices 4 extending through an appropriate fold 5in the carton. In forming the fold 5 the upper portion 6 of the cover is bent back upon itself to form a U-shaped fold as shown. The staples 4, afterY being forced through the .fold 5, are then v-pushed through the flaps 3 and then through the back cover member Ia, after which they are firmly clinched in place.

When the entire envelope is closed and ready for mailing, as in Figure 4, provision is made for locking the folded cover I to the rear cover la in a closed position. Such locking means preferably consists, as shown in Figure 2, of a flap 1 on the extreme end portion of the outer cover I. This ilap is adapted to be inserted in a slot 8 cut in the back section of the cover. When properly closed and inserted, the stem and slot will take the relative positions Vas shown in Figure 2, thereby firmly holding the cover in place about the envelopes 2.

Figure 3 shows in detail one of the removable coupon envelopes with the body of the envelope portion designated as 2 and the upper flap portion shown at 3. To facilitate removal of one of these return envelopes from the outer cover, the upper portion of the flap 3 is perforated as shown at 9. O-f course, the envelope 2 may then be easily removed by simply tearing it along the line of the said perforation, The portion of the envelope flap 3 remaining after the envelope is removed is designated as I and constitutes a stub which is adapted to remain axed to the cover by means of the staples 4, as hereinbefore discussed.

The removable envelopes 2 preferably contain upon the inside surface of the flap 3 various sorts of infomation, generally referred to by the numeral Il, relative to a contract of the installment type. For instance, the amount of the contract may be indicated by dollars and cents columns on the inner right hand side of the flap, such columns indicated generally at I2. Similarly, further information regarding the due date,

the payment number, the account number, the

description or amount of the order, etc., may be printed upon the left hand side of the ap.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the proper contract amount may be conveniently designated by merely punching the appropriate figure as at I 4. Similarly, punching out the desired number may designate the due date as indicated at I5.

When the entire envelope is removed by tearing it along the perforations 9, the required installment payment may be enclosed in the body or pocket section 2 and the envelope folded and sealed, and thus quickly made ready for posting, as shown in Figure 4.

In the preferred form of the invention, provision is made for the insertion of customers order blanks. In Figure 5 the return coupon envelope booklet is shown with the upper cover member extended and with the body members or envelope portions 2 of the return envelopes also extended. The order blanks are designated at I'I and are aflixed to the outer cover members by means of staples similar to the staples 4 hereinbefore referred to, but here designatedI at I9. Preferably, each order blank has printed upon it certain pertinent information. For instance, such information may consist of, among other data, the quantity of goods desired, a description thereof and the total price of the order, and may be printed in convenient tabulated form, as shown.

For the further information of the purchaser and as an additional means of keeping a continuous record of payments made or payments due under an installment contract of the type hereinbefore described, a printed ledger form is provided at I6 upon the inner side of the cover member I Preferably such a ledger provides for the recording of certain data generally indicated at I8, the same enabling the customer to maintain a permanent and cumulative record of all transactions or contracts entered into through the use of the hereinbefore described order blanks I'I and detachable coupon envelopes 3.

As referred to above, it has been found convenient to provide some means whereby additional coupon envelopes may be inserted in such a folder when special occasions arise; and such as when a particular installment plan does not conform to any of the standard fixed groups of installment plans.

As illustrated in Figure 7, such additional coupons may contain'the same type of information relative to an installment contract as hereinbefore set forth and they are made so as to be suitable for insertion into a return coupon envelope booklet of the nature described. In Figure '7 the coupons are shown as already inserted into the folder in the desired position relative to the other coupon envelopes which were fastened therein in the original manufacture of the booklet.

As a means oil maintaining these additional coupon envelopes in position in the original booklet, tabs 20 here shown in dotted lines are provided with the sides of such tabs being cut at a decided angle as at 2|. As a result thereof, openings 22 are formed between the tabs 20, and such openings, because of the angle of cut of the tabs, are wider at the bottom than at the top, thereby taking a wedge-shaped form as illustrated.

When the additional envelope is inserted in the booklet, the tabs are placed in position around the staples 4 with the upper portion of the tabs extended around the staples as illustrated in Figure 7.

The upper portion 23 of the tabs will then tend to retain the additional coupon envelopes firmly in place.

As a further means of securing additional envelopes within the booklet, an adhesive may be applied to one side of the tab portions 20.

For facilitating removal of the additional envelopes from the booklet, perforations across the top of the envelope flap and adjacent to the tabs may be made as indicated at 9, Figures 7 and 8, such perforations corresponding to the perforations 9 hereinbefore described with reference to the original envelopes 3.

Figure 8 discloses the same additional coupon envelope as shown in Figure 7 with the tabs similarly designated at 20 and the line of perforations shown by dotted lines at 9. In this view, however,

the additional coupon envelope is shown separated from, and before insertion into the cover of the original coupon booklet.

Figure 8a shows an alternative method of preparing the additional coupon envelopes for insertion in the booklet. In this figure only one center tab I0 is formed in the upper extremity of the additional coupon envelope, these envelopes may then be bound together by means of staples 22 or some similar means driven through the aforementioned center tab. The additional coupons, thus bound, may then be inserted as a group in the original booklet, the center tabs being of suiicient width to fit firmly between the two staples I9 of the original booklet. When so placed between the staples I9 and when properly and tightly tted between the same the additional envelopes will remain securely in place in the booklet and may be removed A. group of` as needed by tearing them along the aforementioned perforations 9.

While I have shown only the preferred forms of my invention, it should be understood that various changes or modifications could be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is: Y

1. An envelope booklet of the nature described comprised of a cover member having front and back portions and provided with a fold intermediate said front and back portions, a plurality of superposed envelopes having aps of approximately the same. length as said back portion, the free ends of said iiaps being inserted in said fold and, means securing said ends inv said fold, said envelopes having body portions approximately the same size as said flaps and being adapted to be folded over onto said flaps, said back portion having a slit therein, said front portion being adapted to overlie said folded envelopes and having a ap provided with a tab for reception in said slit.

2. An envelope booklet of the nature described comprised of a cover member having front and back portions and provided with a fold intermediate said front and lback portions, a plurality f of superposed envelopes having flaps of approxiy mately the same length as saidiback portion, the

free ends of said flaps being inserted in said fold, said flaps having perforations extending across the upper portion thereof` in order to facilitate removal from the said envelope booklet and, means securing said ends in said fold, said envelopes having body portions of approximately the same size as said aps and being adapted to be folded over onto said flaps, said back portion having a slit therein, said front portion being adapted .to overlie said folded envelopes and having a flap provided with a tab for reception in said slit.

sisting of a flap portion, an envelope portion,

tabs on said flap portion, said tabs being coo-perable with said space securing means to maintain said additional envelopes in position in said v envelope booklet, means to secure said front and @back portions of said booklet about said .en- Vvelopes and said additionalenvelopes, consisting of a slit in said back portion and a ap o-n said -front portion provided with a tab adapted to be inserted in said slit.

4. An envelope booklet comprising a cover 4member having front and back portions, a plu- -ra-lity of superposed envelopes having flaps disposed between said front and back portions, k.spaced staples securing the ends of said flaps to said front and back portions, said flaps having a line of perforations extending therethrough adjacent said staples to facilitate removal of said envelopes from said envelope booklet, said envelopes adapted to be folded within said booklet, *additional envelopes adapted to be inserted Within said envelope booklet consisting of a flap portion, an envelope portion, tabs on said flap portion, said tabs being cooperable with said spaced '-st-aples -to maintain said additional envelopes in position in said envelope booklet.

F. LLOYD WASSELL. 

